Democratic Union Party (PYD) Euphrates Canton Co-Chair Berivan Ismail spoke to ANF about the issue of integration, the 30 January Agreement, and the lifting of the siege on Kobanê, which is one of the core articles of the agreement.
Ismail said that, in order to prevent a massacre against the people in the region, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) withdrew from Raqqa, Tabqa and Deir ez-Zor (Dêrazor). She said that many of their comrades were martyred there, adding that despite this, no concrete steps have been taken so far regarding Kobanê. She said that on the Sheikh front, in particular, some mercenaries affiliated with the interim government have advanced, while on the Çelebiyê front, mercenaries have settled in more than 80 villages and are still occupying the homes and properties of civilians.
Ismail said that thousands of people have been forced to flee, adding that the mercenaries looted people’s property and possessions. She said that children who should be in school are now displaced, and called on the relevant institutions to take immediate action. She warned that Kobanê is facing a serious humanitarian danger, noting that thousands of patients who need to travel to places such as Aleppo and Damascus cannot do so because the roads are closed. She added that the people insist: “We can live without electricity and water, but we cannot live without dignity.”
Ismail said that the gains of the Rojava Revolution are being targeted as part of a conspiracy against the Kurdish people. She said that thousands of wounded people and martyrs have paid a price for this cause, adding that history is repeating itself. She said that Kurdistan is one and that all parts of Kurdistan have risen for the people of Rojava, adding that the people have defended their gains for 14 years and now want to resolve the issue through political means.
No concrete steps taken on the provisions of the agreement
Berivan Ismail also pointed to the agreement signed on 30 January between the SDF and the interim government and said: “We now want to resolve this issue through political means. Since the beginning of the war, our comrades have resisted with great determination. The Autonomous Administration has implemented the core provisions of the agreement step by step. However, no concrete steps have been taken by the interim government, particularly regarding Kobanê. Kobanê remains under a heavy siege. This silence cannot be an answer to the chaos that has unfolded.”
Ismail said that they would continue the tradition of resistance and that they would once again follow the path of resistance they pursued during the Rojava Revolution. She called on young people abroad to continue their actions, saying that they can protect their gains in this way, and noted that through these actions, the attention of world public opinion has been drawn to Kurdish resistance.
Ismail said in conclusion: “There are many forces that do not want this agreement to succeed. We therefore say that there should be a third party in this dialogue. We have never separated ourselves from Syria, and we will not do so. This danger is directed not only at the Kurdish people, but also at the Alevi and Druze peoples. In the past, massacres were carried out against these peoples; now they want to do something like the Kurds.
However, we want the provisions of the agreement to be implemented and for the rights of the Kurdish people to be enshrined as a core article in the Syrian constitution. We have been resisting for 14 years. What we have dreamed of will be realized. Our decision is to struggle and to continue resisting. We are Syrians, and this land belongs to us.”
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